Saturday, December 25, 2010

The musical genius of Martin Denny sounds fantastic most any season, so here's a rare filmed glimpse of the man who helped create and define the exotica genre and in doing so aided in the launch of a thousand tiki bars. Prolific in recorded output, Denny was also a constant live performer gigging with his band in Hawaiian hotel lounges. Filmed on local sandy beaches, I hope these clips of his wild sounds warm up frigid December temperatures.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

The films of Werner Herzog have always impressed me and several are among my top favorites, most notably 1972s Aquirre: The Wrath of God. In the documentary Burden of Dreams director Les Blank followed the painstaking and chaotic production of Fitzcarraldo, which would eventually earn Herzog the Best Director award at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival.

Director Herzog had once earlier tackled filming in primeval wilderness with Aguirre, but Fitzcarraldo presented him with a new galaxy of challenges. Numerous delays were caused by several changes in the actor portraying Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald, aka Fitzcarraldo. A Herculean effort was also involved with the moving of an actual steamship first across thick rain forest jungles, then over a mountain and finally through waterways and white water rapids. No CGI was used, making many scenes breath taking in their intensity and realism.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Funkadelic's Cosmic Slop was released in 1973 on the Westbound label. Not a particularly big seller for the band upon its initial release, the record has aged well and stands out as a classic album from a prolific period in the bands history.

Cosmic Slop was the first Funkadelic record to feature Pedro Bell's unique style of artwork. He would continue to design record covers and liner notes for all subsequent releases until the early 80s.

The video below is a promotional clip for the album's title track, shot in New York City.

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